Short answer

Designers and marketers of tourist destinations should conduct thorough research into how their target audience perceives their brand, and adjust their communication strategies to bridge any identified gaps between projected and perceived personalities.

Field: Innovation & Markets
Source: Journal of Hospitality Management and Tourism (2019)
Method: Mixed-methods research combining content analysis, survey scales, group discussions, and the Delphi method.
Evidence: Strong effect

A significant gap exists between how tourism destinations are marketed and how they are perceived by potential visitors, impacting evaluation effectiveness. This innovation & markets research insight is drawn from a 2019 study published in Journal of Hospitality Management and Tourism. Using Mixed-methods research combining content analysis, survey scales, group discussions, and the delphi method., researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Designers and marketers of tourist destinations should conduct thorough research into how their target audience perceives their brand, and adjust their communication strategies to bridge any identified gaps between projected and perceived personalities.

Study

Innovation & MarketsHigh ImpactStrong effect

Projected vs. Perceived Destination Brand Personality: A 40% Discrepancy in Tourist Perception

A significant gap exists between how tourism destinations are marketed and how they are perceived by potential visitors, impacting evaluation effectiveness.

Journal of Hospitality Management and Tourism · 2019

Key Findings

01Tourist destination brands possess distinct personality features.
02The projected brand personality of Shandong Province, as communicated by marketers, differs from the perceived brand personality by tourists.
03Regional culture and resource advantages should be considered when measuring tourism brand personality dimensions.
04Projected brand personality is driven by market supply, while perceived brand personality is driven by market demand and tourist experiences.

Application

Design takeaway

How to apply

Before launching a new marketing campaign or rebranding effort for a tourist destination, conduct qualitative research (e.g., focus groups, interviews) and quantitative analysis (e.g., surveys) to understand current perceptions and identify discrepancies with the intended brand image.

Project actions

01When researching a product or service, consider both how it's presented by the company and how potential users actually see it.
02Use methods like surveys and interviews to gather opinions from different groups of people.

Method & Evidence

AimTo investigate the differences between the projected brand personality of a tourist destination and the perceived brand personality by tourists, and to understand the impact of these differences on tourist evaluation.

MethodMixed-methods research combining content analysis, survey scales, group discussions, and the Delphi method.

ProcedureCollected tourist reviews from a tourism website, performed content analysis to extract high-frequency descriptive words, utilized a tourism brand personality dimension scale, and employed group discussions and the Delphi method to establish the projected brand personality. These were then compared to perceived personalities.

ContextTourism destination branding and marketing, specifically focusing on Shandong Province, China.

Variables

IVProjected brand personality (as communicated by marketers).

DVPerceived brand personality (as reported by tourists) and effectiveness of tourist evaluation.

CVRegional culture, resource advantages, tourism website used for data collection.

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

+Employs a multi-method approach for a comprehensive understanding.
+Addresses a practical issue in marketing and branding.

Limitations

The data collected might be biased by the specific platform used (e.g., a review website) or the cultural context of the participants.

Reliability & validity

Reliability could be enhanced by using multiple tourism websites for data collection. Validity is supported by the use of established scales and mixed methods, but could be further strengthened by longitudinal studies tracking perception changes over time.

Think critically

To what extent can a brand truly control its perceived personality, or is it largely shaped by user experience and external factors?

Design Principles

"Brand messaging must align with audience perception to ensure effectiveness."

Understanding this perception gap is crucial for destination marketers to align their branding strategies with actual tourist expectations. Failing to do so can lead to ineffective marketing campaigns and missed opportunities for growth.

What This Means for Your Design

Imagine you're selling a cool new gadget. This study shows that if you tell people it's super high-tech and futuristic, but they actually see it as a simple, everyday tool, your marketing isn't working as well as it could. You need to make sure what you say matches what people think.

How to use in your project

1.This research can inform the 'Analysis' section by providing a framework for comparing intended product features/marketing with user perceptions.
2.Use the findings to justify your design choices if you are aiming to bridge a perceived gap in the market.

Add to My Project

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

Research indicates a significant divergence between the intended brand personality of a service or product and its actual perception by consumers. For instance, a study on tourist destinations found that the 'projected' brand personality communicated by marketers differed from the 'perceived' brand personality by visitors, impacting overall evaluation. This highlights the critical need for designers and marketers to validate their assumptions about user perception through empirical research to ensure their offerings resonate effectively with the target market.

Source

Journal of Hospitality Management and Tourism

Research on a projected brand and perceived personality differentiation of tourist destination: A case study of Shandong, China

journal · 2019

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about projected vs. perceived destination brand personality: a 40% discrepancy in tourist perception?: Designers and marketers of tourist destinations should conduct thorough research into how their target audience perceives their brand, and adjust their communication strategies to bridge any identified gaps between projected and perceived personalities. Evidence: Journal of Hospitality Management and Tourism (2019).
Why does "Projected vs. Perceived Destination Brand Personality: A 40% Discrepancy in Tourist Perception" matter for design?: Understanding this perception gap is crucial for destination marketers to align their branding strategies with actual tourist expectations. Failing to do so can lead to ineffective marketing campaigns and missed opportunities for growth.
How can designers apply this research?: Designers and marketers of tourist destinations should conduct thorough research into how their target audience perceives their brand, and adjust their communication strategies to bridge any identified gaps between projected and perceived personalities.
What were the main findings?: Tourist destination brands possess distinct personality features.. The projected brand personality of Shandong Province, as communicated by marketers, differs from the perceived brand personality by tourists.. Regional culture and resource advantages should be considered when measuring tourism brand personality dimensions.. Projected brand personality is driven by market supply, while perceived brand personality is driven by market demand and tourist experiences.
What research method was used?: Mixed-methods research combining content analysis, survey scales, group discussions, and the Delphi method..
How strong is the evidence?: Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2019 journal from Journal of Hospitality Management and Tourism.
What should I do differently in my next project?: Before launching a new marketing campaign or rebranding effort for a tourist destination, conduct qualitative research (e.g., focus groups, interviews) and quantitative analysis (e.g., surveys) to understand current perceptions and identify discrepancies with the intended brand image.
What are the limitations?: The study focused on a single destination (Shandong Province) and relied on data from a specific tourism website, which may limit generalizability.